The Illusions under which we live - I

Do we have a clear grasp of the world in general, or ourselves in particular or, are we under some kind of illusion, behind a veil, that we cannot pierce to see reality?

Our own scriptures, especially Vedanta, have given the answer centuries ago – it is encapsulated in the concept of mayavad, the belief that the world is an illusion. When we look at the concept of Vedantic mayavad from our present day perspective, we find that we do live life even today under many illusions.One great illusion we all live with is that of believing or acting as if life is eternal. It is not that we are unaware that we shall die one day; it is only that we function as if we had the magic to fend death off for as long as we like. The Pharaohs of Egypt had their bodies preserved in the hope that they could come to life again!It is the same kind of hope that makes us live on fantasies for a future that is uncertain. “ I shall do this. I shall do that. My son is going to be a doctor of renown.” Aren’t these the thoughts that nourish our illusion of a postponed death? Hope is an expectation in or of a future, although it makes life, as we know it, worth living.

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Closely linked to the illusion of a postponed death is the illusion of lasting happiness. The desire in us for happiness is such that we like to think, that by gaining something physically, like good health or having something in our possession, we would be very, very happy. All our lives are spent in trying to achieve that particular thing, so we can attain the happiness we desire; we never really achieve this elusive end.

Once you get hold of the object you wanted, the happiness that you thought it would bring you, slowly begins to fade. You begin to feel,” The ideal situation is something else. This is not it.” And the search for the ideal situation never ends.

Suppose you do become happy with something you get. After some time, doubts assail you. You are afraid that it might be snatched away or destroyed on its own. If one is holding on to something in fear of losing it, how can one be tranquil and happy?

The alternative to that fear is the illusion of freezing that moment of happiness for all time to come. Unfortunately, time has other views and you will be going against the inexorable laws of time, if you hope that your happiness will remain unaltered.

Everything changes over a period of time. Our happiness, on the other hand, depends on things, that we have achieved, remaining as they are without changing or our state of happiness remaining unaltered or our own death remaining a postponed possibility.